Did Chief Mtn and Sniktau with our kidos the past two weekends. Now trying to figure out other ideas which:1) A AWD car can make it to the trailhead2) Up to 4ish miles RT3) Prefer summits, 13ers a plus4) Up to 2000ft-ish elevation gain5) No worse than class 2, given the tikes climb on their own

Searching around, was kind of set on Mount Sheridan, but now I'm questioning whether the trailhead parking will be way down the road (adding significant length) since it seems to share the trailhead with Mt Sherman and we wont be there at 6am. Thoughts/ideas? THANKS!!

Last edited by 1FunS8 on Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

Twining Peak and Unnamed 13,500 from the top of Independence Pass is good. Boreas is a good suggestion as well. London Mountain near Mosquito Pass is another great little 13er with a bit of easy scrambling along it's west ridge (from the hike up the road)...there are cool abandoned mines along that road too. Just be sure to park at the "wagon road" historical sign is at the creek crossing; the road quickly becomes 4x4 above that.

Chiquita (13069) and possibly Ypsilon (13514) from the Chapin Pass TH off Fall River Road in RMNP might fit the bill. Chapin (12454) is the first peak you'll encounter but you can bypass it. Trailhead parking is very limited along that road so I've always parked at the Alpine Visitor Center and walked the 1.5 miles down the one-way road to the trailhead. This may deter you because it will add 3 miles and 600-700 feet of upclimb on your return trip.

Chiquita is described as the easiest 13er in the park. It is around 5 miles RT if you can park at the actual TH. It can be windy but the views are nice. I'd say it is 1+ hiking.

Buckskin (13865) is a centennial just off Kite Lake Road near Alma. Roach describes it as around 3.6 miles RT and maybe a touch over 2000 feet. Views are quite nice and the odds are everyone will be on the Lincoln-Democrat circuit. I doubt you will see anyone.

The look in his eyes when it hit - Kid, it was tasty... - William Seward Burroughs

Otherwise you may have trouble finding 13ers that are only 2000' from the TH unless the TH is on a pass (most of which have been suggested). Here are some near-to-town high 12ers, though:

Vasquez Peak (12947'). Starts about 3 miles up the Jones Pass road (the road should be okay if driven carefully), easy bushwack most of the way up.Mt. Bethel (12708'). From Dry Gulch TH (try to ignore the freeway noise )Revenue Mt (12889'). From Peru Creek Rd at Pennsylvania Mine.

To recognize the beauty in sadness, without playing host to the pain...- Under the Sun, "Reflections"

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the advice. We did Mt Boreas today, a nice next step after Sniktau. That mountain sure doesn't get much traffic, only saw one other person the whole day, which was nice! But for others with kidos, there is absolutely no trail, took us almost 5 hours with 5 & 6 yr olds in tow, perhaps twice as long as Mt. Sniktau. The road to the pass was no problem at all for a car. By the way Bill's http://www.breckenridgeclimbing.com was super helpful in preparing. Will be trying some of the other recommendations as soon as possible